Broward Judge Contini resigns abruptly

Broward Circuit Judge John Patrick Contini resigned Friday, becoming the county’s sixth sitting judge to leave office in 2018 before the end of his term.

His resignation took effect at 5 p.m. Friday.

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Contini was first elected in 2014 and was assigned to the criminal court, where he quickly found himself clashing with the Broward State Attorney’s Office over allegations that he was playing favorites with defense lawyers, offering one advice on seeking leniency for clients.

In testimony before a JQC panel, Contini admitted to making a “rookie mistake” and said he underestimated the challenge of transitioning from an advocate to a judge. “Thankfully, I've learned the hard way from this costly lesson,” Contini said after the reprimand.

The JQC agreed that Contini deserved to remain in office and praised the judge for accepting responsibility for his error in judgment.